D.C. taxicabs will allow credit cards by March 30

The D.C. Taxicab Commission, abandoning the effort for a standardize citywide smart meter, instead will issue regulations this week requiring all District taxis to accept credit cards by March 30, according to Chairman Ron Linton, The Washington Post reported.

It’s a major shift in approach from city authorities: Instead of a mandating a single system to be used by all cabs, individual taxi owners will now have a choice of which credit card system to use.

As for the other features of the proposed smart meter system — including an interactive screen, GPS navigation and “panic buttons” — those will be included in a new procurement, Linton said.